Quite simply, cord blood is the remaining blood from a baby’s umbilical cord and placenta after birth. Cord blood is loaded with our “stem cells” which are origins of the body’s immune and blood system and may be the origin of other organs and important systems in the body. Stem cells are important because they have the ability to regenerate into other types of cells in the body.

A few years ago, cord blood was simply discarded as medical waste after a birth. However in the past few years doctors have recognized that the stem cells have unique qualities which can be used in treatment of certain cancers. The most common medical use is for transplantation in many situations where bone marrow is considered. In the future, it is possible that scientists will discover more diseases that can be cured with cord blood.

In India the repository for cord blood is certainly looking up. In India cord blood storage has been available in major hospitals across the country for some time. The biggest cord blood repository in India and also the first one to commence commercial operations was Reliance life Sciences (RLS). RLS was incorporated in 2001 and since then it has invested $5 million and has plans to pump in $25 million into the centre over the next few years. According to Mukesh Ambani, chairman, Reliance Industries Limited ‘‘the stem cell-rich cord blood repository is an investment we are making for the future in order to be able to bring about an era of regenerative medicine’’.

Close on the heels on the heels of reliance life sciences commencing its commercial operation of its cord blood repository, another Pune based health care provider Ruby Hall Medical Research Centre, a subsidiary of Pune-based Ruby Hall Clinic, announced a 49:51 joint venture with Denmark-based biotechnology company Mesibo, with an aim to establish India’s largest cord blood storage facility at Pune. But unlucky its Denmark based went bust; the company is looking for a new partner, as per the company sources its talking to a Belgian company for opening a cord blood repository in India.

Cord blood which was once routinely discarded as medical waste, is now recognized for its life-saving capabilities, ideal for blood transplants because it is rich in self-repairing stem cells. Umbilical cord blood is rich in stem cells, which according to the National Institutes of Health are medically important because they can self-replicate and take on the properties of specialized cells within the human body.

There has been of date no medical evidence or research indicating that a cord blood donation effects pregnancy. In fact there is an Illinois law designed to encourage umbilical cord blood donation. Because stem cells can become various cells, doctors are using them to treat more than 40 types of cancers and diseases that destroy human cells.

The ideal time for women who wish to donate the cord blood is before their 35th week of pregnancy. The cord blood is collected only after the baby has been born and the umbilical cord has been clamped and cut. The cord blood collection is both painless and safe for the pregnant mother as well as for the baby. The Average collection time varies from 3-7 minutes. But unfortunately, due to historically lower volumes collected from multiple births, many facilities to not collect cord blood from twins.

Collecting cord blood poses no health risk to the mother or infant donor. The cord blood is collected after delivery, which would normally be discarded. The cord blood is stored only with the mother’s signed consent. If the mother or the baby experiences any complications during delivery, the doctor will not collect the cord blood.

Trained staff drains the blood from the umbilical cord and placenta. The methods vary somewhat at different hospitals. The blood is usually collected using a needle to draw the blood into a bag.

Donating cord blood is medically safe and doesn’t affect pregnancy. Donating poses no health risks to the pregnant mother or the baby.

The big news in the Phoenix area is the cooperation between the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.

With blood marrow transplant (BMT) services previously unavailable in the Valley, families already struggling with the burden of having a child with cancer had to face the additional stress and inconvenience of having a child hospitalized in a distant facility for several months.

Now, the Phoenix Children’s Hospital Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program provided in cooperation with Mayo Clinic will allow families to remain close to home. Private cord blood storage companies also have donatino centers in Phoenix.

Phoenix Children’s Hospital
The ChildrenÕs Cancer Center at Phoenix ChildrenÕs Hospital (PCH) cares for the majority of pediatric cancer patients in Arizona, and is known statewide as the leader in pediatric cancer treatment. PCHÕs new in-patient hospital and outpatient clinics are designed and equipped exclusively for the care of children. Given the often long-duration of cancer treatment, including the BMT episode of care, PCHÕs extensive family support programs, including individual counseling, family support groups, school re-entry programs, camps, and scholarships, are vital underpinnings to the complete care of these patients.

Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale has physician and administrative leaders who are experienced in directing and operating BMT programs, including the highly-specialized billing and managed care contracting aspects of BMT services.

I would like to welcome all of you to the Cord Blood Banking Community website for the latest news and articles. This site was made to give the average internet user and researcher some quality information on this new area. The whole idea of saving a baby’s umbilical cord blood for treating diseases in the future is a new one for most of us.

Its almost straight out of science fiction to be collecting and storing blood at sub-zero temperatures for years. I think of it as being able to suspend time and “turn off” a human or cells until the time is right to make use of this precious DNA.

Cord blood banks are very mysterious to most of us. A vision of an underground lair filled with vials of human protoplasm could be nothing farther then the truth. We hope to get feedback from the banks themselves so people can see what this exciting and new industry is all about.

Thanks for making it to our site, hope you find what you need and we look forward to your comments and articles. You can signup here and post any questions or comments you may have on a new topic, or leave comments on existing articles anytime.

Thanks again, we await your blood banking knowledge!

Your friendly admin.

ps: NEW 9-12-05 Do you know of a Cord Bank that should be listed on our site? Email us the details at admin at bloodbanker.com and we’ll be sure to get it on the site as soon as we can.